I've lived on Berkeley Lake for 9 years now. That's not so long compared to some folks, but long enough to notice the difference between then and now. Change is, of course, inevitable, but just like progress, it's sometimes hard to tell the good from the bad.

There's constant construction going on around the lake: improvements and additions to existing homes; new docks being built; old homes being torn down and new ones going up. For the most part, this is great and results in increased property values for all of us.

This"pride of ownership" has resulted in some stunning properties with many unique features. One type of feature that some homeowners are including is more"lighting." They're lighting their docks, they're lighting their walkways, their backyards, their stairs, their trees, their decks, you name it. Looks nice, but why so bright and why leave them on all the time? You might ask; who cares? Well, I and many other homeowners on the lake do care.

Nighttime on the lake is quite beautiful. You can see the shoreline and the reflection of the trees in the water. There's nothing like a boat ride with just the moon and the lights from inside the houses illuminating the water. The nocturnal creatures are out and nature takes over.

So, back to the question - why so bright? There seem to be 3 basic reasons why:

1. Security
2. Being able to see your own property
3. The decorative"wow" factor

Look folks, it's not like we have rampaging bands of pirates stealing our boats and burying things in our yards. And the nocturnal creatures don't care. They have their usual paths and seem to stick to them, lights or no lights. But, if security is your thing, might I suggest motion sensors. If someone walks into my yard at night, it lights up like San Quentin during a jailbreak. However, they go off after a couple of minutes. When it comes to security, lighting is good, but I'm not going to subject my neighbors to it until it's needed. Besides, why light up your backyard so thieves can see where they're going. Use sensors and surprise the heck out of them.

If you want to move about on your own property, say, down to your dock, lighting is a good idea. But, do you have to leave them on all night? Use it when you need it, then turn it off. Motion sensors work well for this application also and they save energy (spelled m-o-n-e-y).

Kind of the same deal as #2. If you're having a party and you want to impress your friends, turn the lights on. However, I've found that when guests come over, they actually want to"see" the lake so, less is more. By the way, all that lighting down by the lake makes the critters, fish, and insects nuts. Kind of defeats the purpose of living on a lake.

The more people I talk to, the more complaints I hear about bright lights around the lake. If you haven't done it yet, take your boat out at night and look back at your property. If it's way too obvious where you live, you may want to rethink your lighting.

So, please turn them off when they're not needed. Your neighbors will really appreciate it.